The best things to do around Sarasota for Aug. 4-10

There's a new exhibit at Selby Gardens taking center stage in Sarasota, and there are also interesting drama and theater options on tap this week.


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  • | 5:00 a.m. August 2, 2022
The Uptown Boys will sing you a song, but don't call them The Piano Men. (Courtesy photo)
The Uptown Boys will sing you a song, but don't call them The Piano Men. (Courtesy photo)
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Thursday

Summer Circus Spectacular
11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road
$18, $12 children 12 and under
Visit Ringling.org

It seemed like the circus would be here forever. But now you have a week left to see it. The Summer Circus Spectacular, an extravaganza packed with balance artists, contortionists and nimble acrobats, first came to the Ringling in June, and it will play to a packed house until Aug. 13. 

Tracy Smith
7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
$25
Visit McCurdysComedy.com

Tracy Smith has lived for decades in the world as a woman, and her bio claims that she carries "all of her middle-aged baggage in a tightly packed carry-on." She will deliver hard truths and cut them with her unexpected delivery, and she'll play a show Thursday night and then two each on Friday and Saturday at McCurdy's.

'Godspell, Jr.'
7:30 p.m. at Jervey Theatre, 140 W. Tampa Ave., Venice
$18, $16 college/educator, $12 youth
Visit VeniceTheatre.org

Do you like your musicals with a touch of religion? The Venice Theatre will present "Godspell Jr.," an enduring Broadway classic based on parables from the Gospel of Matthew. The show first opened up off-Broadway in 1971, and it came back for a run on Broadway 40 years later in 2011. The Venice production stars Sydne Hirshman, Addie Ross and Michael Snyder, and it's helmed by director Kelly Duyn and music director William Coleman.

Free Movie at Waterside Place: 'Encanto'
8 p.m. at Waterside Place, 7500 Island Cove Terrace, Lakewood Ranch
Free
Visit WatersidePlace.com.

"Encanto" will be shown at Waterside Place. The family event is hosted by Grace Community Church. Seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Bring a blanket and/or lawn chairs. Concessions will be available from O&A Coffee and We B’ Poppin Popcorn and Kettle Corn. Face painting will be available from 7-9 p.m.

 

"Het Boeket" by Aimée Hoeving is one of the standout examples of floral photography at Flora Imaginaria. (Courtesy photo)

Friday

Flora Imaginaria
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at Selby Gardens, 1534 Mound St.
Free with admission 
Visit Selby.org

It's a tour through the annals of photography to see how images of flowers have changed over the decades. William A. Ewing, who literally wrote the book on the history of floral photography, revisits his work to survey how things have changed over the last 30 years. Ewing is assisted in his examination by Swiss curator Danaé Panchaud, and the result is dozens of examples of artists expanding the palette of flowers in photos. This exhibit will run until Sept. 25 at Selby Gardens.

First Friday: Shelly Bonet
6-9 p.m. at Lakewood Main Street
Free
Visit LakewoodRanch.com

It's a street party with some live entertainment. Lakewood Ranch's Music on Main series returns with Shelly Bonet, who will play "rock, soul and good ole blues music." Main Street will be filled with food vendors, beer trucks and sponsor booths, and proceeds from First Friday will benefit the Asolo Repertory Theatre.

Classic Movies at the Opera House: 'Fiddler on the Roof'
7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$12
Visit SarasotaOpera.org

Matchmaker, matchmaker, find me a film. "Fiddler on the Roof" played the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center earlier this year, and now it's back in its classic film rendition at the Sarasota Opera House. "Fiddler on the Roof" was nominated for eight Academy Awards in 1971, and it won for Best Cinemtography, Best Music and Best Score. Chaim Topol stars as the patriarch trying to hold his traditions and his family together.

 

The improv troupe at Florida Studio Theatre is ready to bring you on their own spin on John Hughes films. (Courtesy photo)
The improv troupe at Florida Studio Theatre is ready to bring you on their own spin on John Hughes films. (Courtesy photo)

Saturday

'Fast Times at John Hughes High'
7:30 p.m. at Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St.
$15
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org

All the archetypes are here. You'll have the jock, the nerd, the cheerleader and the outcast, to name a few, and who knows what else the imaginations of the Florida Studio Theatre improv crew will cook up? Here, the improv crew mines the many films of John Hughes — who directed classics like "Sixteen Candles," "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" — for all the comedy and pathos they can find.

 

Sunday

Family Day
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Armands Circle Park, 1 St. Armands Circle
Free
Visit StArmandsCircleAssoc.com.

Enjoy Sunday in the park with face painting and a superhero-themed scavenger hunt. 

HD at the Opera House: ‘La Traviata’
1:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
Tickets $22
Visit SarasotaOpera.org

You've probably seen a lot of Verdi in this building, but this version of the tragic classic comes from across an ocean. The Royal Opera House in London presented "La Traviata" live on April 13, 2022, and now that performance is available as an opera film performance in Sarasota. Richard Eyre directs this production, and the cast is headlined by Pretty Yende and Stephen Costello.

Hard Heart Burlesque
8 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
$37
Visit McCurdysComedy.com

Florida burlesque favorites Miss Marina Elaine and Karma Kandlewick present this risqué revue, which features showgirls, vocalists and even a few vaudeville surprises. They'll show you what they've got and they'll leave you wanting more as they pick up from where Black Diamond Burlesque left off before them.

 

Monday

Kitchen Fundamentals: Knife Skills
6 p.m. at Publix Aprons Cooking School, 12875 University Parkway
$55
Visit ApronsCookingSchool.Publix.com

Let the chefs at Publix teach you how to use a knife. You'll be making multiple dishes including chopped salad with grilled chicken and pan-roasted jumbo shrimp with sweet corn succotash, but more importantly, you'll be learning skills you can take home and use in your own kitchen. 

 

Tuesday

‘New York State of Mind’: All the Hits of Billy Joel with the Uptown Boys
7:30 p.m. at FST's John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$34
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org

Don't call them The Piano Men. Sergi Robles, Michael Fasano and Hank Kolnitz bring you the beloved songs of Long Island's patron saint, Billy Joel, in their interpretation of his classic songbook. You'll hear "Only the Good Die Young" and "For the Longest Time," among others, in this triumphant show imagined by Alexander Aguilar and John De Simini. And you'll have plenty of time to see it, as it runs through Oct. 2.

 

Wednesday

Met Summer Encore: 'Daughter of the Regiment'
1 and 6:30 p.m. at Regal Hollywood, 1993 Main St.
$10.70
Visit RegMovies.com

Come see Donizetti's opera comique on Main Street. Standing ovations are strictly optional. Regal Hollywood will be showing this 2008 production from the Metropolitan Opera for one day only, and you can celebrate along with Natalie Dessay's performance as Marie, the orphaned tomboy raised by a regiment of French soldiers.

 

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